England ease to 3-0 friendly victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina

NEWCASTLE, England :England kicked off their European Championship preparation with a 3-0 victory over non-qualifiers Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday at St James' Park, thanks to goals from Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and captain Harry Kane.

England stepped up their pace after a dull first half and Palmer, who scored nine penalties for Chelsea this season, broke the deadlock with his first England goal in the 60th minute from the spot after Ezri Konsa was tugged down in the box.

"It's a great feeling to get my first England goal," Palmer told Channel 4, who was interviewed alongside Kane, a late-game substitute.

"Of course (Kane) would have taken it if he had been on the pitch," a grinning Palmer added.

Liverpool's Alexander-Arnold, who was one of the bright spots on the night, doubled their lead in the 85th minute with his third goal for England when he fired home from a tight angle.

Bayern Munich striker Kane scored perhaps one of the easiest goals of his career four minutes later when he poked the ball in from close range after Jarrod Bowen's shot hit Konsa in a scramble in front of goal.

"I'm feeling good," said Kane, who had not played for Bayern since May 8 due to an ongoing back issue. "A lot of the end of season was precaution. It was a good chance to get a good break at the end of the season. I feel fine.

"It's about getting minutes. I'm not someone who takes too long to get sharp."

Several key players including midfielder Jude Bellingham, who won the Champions League with Real Madrid on Saturday, were missing, but the match was much about manager Gareth Southgate deciding on which seven players he must cut before Friday's deadline for their 26-man squad.

The second half salvaged what looked destined to be a